Norwell High School football coach Jim Sullivan retiring

Thursday

Nov 25, 2010 at 12:01 AMNov 25, 2010 at 10:23 AM

Thanksgiving game will be the swan song for Norwell coach Jim Sullivan, who is heading for retirement after a 23-year career.

Rick Seto

The win-loss record will show that Jim Sullivan will finish a 23-year head coaching career today with a .600 winning percentage, but the success of the retiring Norwell High School football mentor cannot be measured by numbers alone.

The Clippers have won two Eastern Mass. Super Bowls and four South Shore League championships under Sullivan, but it’s another number that is telling about his legacy: 11. As in the times that Norwell has won the SSL’s team sportsmanship award in the last 12 years.

“It’s important to me because I feel we’re teaching them more than the game of football,” said Sullivan, who is also retiring from teaching as well as his other coaching positions. “We’re teaching them how to deal with the highs and lows of life, how to act at all times.

“I think that these guys, when they walk off the field as Norwell players, they have a sense of pride in them. That’s a nice feeling that has carried through over the years with winning teams and not-so-good teams, wins-wise. They all have that in common … that they know they’re a class act – and I think they thrive on that.”

As proof of his reputation, Sullivan was recognized by the athletic departments in the pre-game announcements at the three road games (Hull, Carver and Cohasset) since news of his retirement became public. Sullivan was given an especially warm welcome at Cohasset, where he served as an assistant and coached several members of the current Skippers staff.

“That’s been very special to me throughout this season: the respect that our group has earned over the years from other coaches,” Sullivan said. “It’s made me very happy and proud to be part of this program.”

Sullivan’s farewell tour will fittingly end on the field he has called home for the last 22 seasons. Hanover, a 3-7 team that has struggled after graduating most of its core players from a year ago, like Norwell, represents a rare on-even-terms opponent for the Clippers (1-9), who have been shut out in five of their last six games.

The last several years have not been the easiest for Sullivan, who turns 58 in June. , In 2008, the Clippers endured their first winless season. A battle against throat cancer sidelined him for much of last year’s 6-5 bounce-back campaign, though Sullivan said he is in remission and that his health was not a factor in his decision to retire. He chose June 2011 for his farewell because that marks the completion of his 35th year in teaching, which triggers the maximum pension rate for public school teachers. He has taught English at Norwell High since 1989, his first season as the Clippers’ head coach.

Sullivan will be sorely missed, according to Scott Paine, who succeeded Sullivan as the NHS athletic director six years ago.

“Obviously he’s much more than a football coach,” Paine said. “I don’t think you’ll find another teacher like him.

“From a teaching standpoint, it’s not just about football for him. It’s about developing young men, and I think that’s one of the things he does best. The things that you learn in four years having him as a coach or a teacher really do prepare you for leaving Norwell High School, and I really think he’s done a tremendous job at doing that.”

Some 50 ex-players and countless former students are expected to turn out and give thanks to the teacher sometimes known as “Gentleman Jim.”

“I’m going to seriously miss the day-to-day interactions with the guys and with all the kids,” Sullivan said. “I’ve felt I have got a message I’d like to give them about the quality of living. Hopefully, some of that has rubbed off. I know it’s made me a stronger and better person. Hopefully, it’s done that for some of the kids, too.”

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